Honda CB125E (2012+) Maintenance Schedule and Service Intervals
This is the maintenance schedule and service intervals for the Honda CB125E, an entry-level commuter bike from Honda that’s sold in a few markets around the world.
The Honda CB125E is a low-powered bike that’s popular for around-the-town exploring. Because of its low cost, high economy, and low maintenance costs, it’s also a very popular motorcycle for Uber Eats or Deliveroo etc. delivery drivers. You can occasionally see them going on the highways that are rated at 100 km/h… but they don’t stay there for too long, and they tend to stay in the left-most lane anyway.
The CB125E is powered by a 124cc carburettor-fed air-cooled single-cylinder engine that makes 7 kW (10hp). It puts power down via a five-speed gearbox and chain drive. It’s a basic bike… single disc up front, and the rear brake is a drum brake! But the total kerb weight is 137 kg and normal riding will see you using around 3L/100 km.
It may seem like it’s a variant of the Honda Grom due to the similar capacity engine, but that’s actually a much more advanced motorcycle (with fuel injection, for starters). The Grom is also quite a bit more expensive.
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What you need to service your Honda CB125E
Doing your own service on the Honda CB125E is part of the ownership experience. But what oil, spark plugs etc. should you use? Apart from general standard motorcycle maintenance tools, here’s what you need to service your Honda CB125E.
| Part | Honda CB125E Spec |
|---|---|
| Oil | Honda recommends SAE 10W-30 oil that’s API classification SG or higher or JASO T 903 standard MA or higher. There are a lot of oils that fit the bill, but Honda recommends Pro Honda GN4. Note — there’s no oil filter to change on the CB125E, just an oil spinner to clean out (see the schedule below) |
| Spark plug | Manual specifies NGK CPR7EA-9. |
| Brake fluid | The manual specifies DOT 3 or DOT 4, but recommends Honda DOT 4 brake fluid. |
| Air filter | Honda part number for the air filter is 17211‑KVC‑680. |
| Chain maintenance | Service your chain regularly! Either use a Motul chain care kit, or with Motul chain paste. |
| Grease | Use lithium soap-based grease and silicone grease for external pivot points, like the sidestand and bearings. |
| Brake pads | You need one pair of brake pads for the front, and brake shoes for the rear. It’s easiest to get these directly from a Honda dealer. |
Honda CB125E Maintenance Schedule
Below is the maintenance schedule for the Honda CB125E.
Pre-ride checks
The manual specifies that you should check the following things before every ride. These are mostly common sense.
| Honda CB125E — Pre-ride checks |
|---|
| Fuel level |
| Throttle Operation |
| Engine oil level (Pro Honda GN4) |
| Drive Chain is in good condition, recently lubed/cleaned |
| Brake Fluid (disc brakes only) (Honda DOT 4) |
| Brake pad/shoes wear |
| Lights/horn |
| Engine stop switch |
Maintenance Procedures:
- I: inspect and clean, adjust, lubricate, or replace, if necessary
- C: Clean
- L: lubricate
- R: replace
Notes:
- At higher odometer readings, repeat at the frequency interval established here. The maintenance schedule only goes up to 12,000 km. No, you don’t just throw it out after that!
- Honda recommends getting the steering and brakes serviced by professional mechanics (presumably because of risk)
- Note 2: Service more frequently if the motorcycle is ridden in unusually wet or dusty areas
- Note 3: Service more frequently when riding in the rain or at full throttle.
- Note 4: Replacement requires mechanical skill. (Honda means “Be careful”)
- Note 5: Replace the PAIR air filter every 3 years or 24K km (16K miles). It takes “mechanical skill” too.
| x 1000 mi | 0.6 | 2.5 | 5 | 7.5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x 1000 km | 1 | 4 | 8 | 12 | Every |
| Fuel line (note 4) | I | I | I | 2 years, R | |
| Fuel strainer screen | C | C | C | ||
| Throttle Operation | I | I | I | Year, I | |
| Choke operation | I | I | I | Year, I | |
| Air Cleaner (note 2) | Every 16K km (10K mi), R | ||||
| Crankcase Breather (note 3) | C | C | C | ||
| Spark plug | I | R | I | ||
| Valve clearance | I | I | I | I | |
| Engine Oil (Pro Honda GN4) | R | R | R | R | Year, R |
| Engine Oil Strainer Screen | C | ||||
| Engine Oil Centrifugal Filter | C | ||||
| Engine Idle Speed | I | I | I | I | |
| Secondary air supply system (Note 5) | I | 3 years, R | |||
| Drive Chain (Motul chain paste) | Every 1000 km (600 mi) I, L | ||||
| Brake Fluid (disc brakes only) (Honda DOT 4) | I | I | I | 2 Years, R | |
| Brake pad/shoes wear | I | I | I | Year, I | |
| Brake System | I | I | I | I | Year, I |
| Brake Light Switch | I | I | I | I | Year, I |
| Headlight Aim | I | I | I | Year, I | |
| Clutch System | I | I | I | I | Year, I |
| Side Stand | I | I | I | Year, I | |
| Suspension | I | I | I | Year, I | |
| Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners | I | I | Year, I | ||
| Wheels/Tires | I | I | I | Year, I | |
| Steering Head Bearings | I | I | Year, I |
Tyre size and tyre pressure for the Honda CB125E
The manual for the Honda CB125E specifies these tyre sizes, says the CB125E ships with these tyres, and recommends the following tyre pressures (when cold):
| Tyre | Size | Brand(s) | Tyre pressure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front | 80/100-18M/C 47 P | Kenda K291F | 200 kPa (29 psi) |
| Rear | 90/90-18M/C 51P | Kenda K328X | 225 kPa (33 psi) |
About the Honda CB125E
Above everything else, the Honda CB125E is an economical bike.
The Honda CB125E is
- Cheap to get on the road
- Cheap to gas up, and
- Cheap to maintain (especially if you learn how to do it. yourself).
Even if you’re hard on the throttle, wringing the most out of it (as us more experienced motorcycle riders are wont to do), you won’t use more than 3.4L/100 km, or roughly infinity miles per gallon. Normal riding would be more like 2-3.
The first thing many will tell you when you show them your CB125 is “cute”! And the second or third thing is… will that let you get up to speed?
The fact is that you do have to work the Honda CB125E hard. Going up hills you’ll have to knock it down a gear or two. And on the freeway, you have to get into a tuck to maintain top speed. And you should probably not be in the rightmost lane.
But around town, particularly if you’re a delivery rider (or maintaining a fleet of delivery vehicles), the Honda CB125E is extremely economical, reliable, and quick to repair.
On repairs — for those of you just getting started in the dark arts of motorcycle maintenance, the CB125E is an almost perfect platform to learn on.
- Parts are available from everywhere.
- It’s a carburettor-fed single, so you get to maintain bikes the way they used to be made (before moving on to the complexities of fuel injection)
- There’s only one cylinder, so fewer things to keep in spec.
- If you blow it up, it’s not a very expensive lesson
While there are many other cheap bikes, if reliability and economy was my priority, the Honda CB125E would easily be my first choice.
And once you’re done with it, you can move on to a CB300F.
Manual for the Honda CB125E
The above maintenance schedule comes directly from the user’s manual for the Honda CB125E. We checked the earlier manuals for changes.
You can download it directly from Honda.
